Sony Releases Their Version of ‘Direct’ – State of Play

Sony recently posted their version of, what seems to be, a Nintendo Direct – being an online presentation to show off some upcoming games for the PlayStation platform to get you excited for the next few months of gaming and… well, it wasn’t all that impressive. Before we head into the overview, I’d like to point out that I’m a big advocate, lover and collector of the PlayStation VR, and even with surprisingly, so much VR love in this presentation, it really didn’t make me very excited – It’s possibly that they weren’t aiming for my demographic however, so I’ll give them a pass on that one. Let’s head into the meat of the presentation.

MARVEL’S IRONMAN VRFirst up, I will give them props for the amazing PlayStation 4 boot up screen, though not seeing any logo for the presentation at first, was a bit confusing, (we do see a proper logo after this first announcement, however,) but none the less, the first game to reach our eyes was Ironman VR. I, personally, don’t particularity like Superhero themes for movies and comics, but I do, however, adore Superhero games. The tiny Spider-Man and Batman VR Experiences are simply amazing – and who can honestly say that the Spider-Man games that came out in the 2000’s weren’t shy off perfect? This… this seems a little bland. Granted, we haven’t seen much, and even in saying so, watch flat VR on your TV and actually being in VR are two completely different things. I’ll at least give it a go if it’s cheap, though if you’re only flying through the air, I can see myself getting bored with the repetitive backgrounds. Marvel’s Ironman is set to come out in 2019, with no further date given.

CRASH TEAM RACING: NITRO>>FUELEDCrash Team Racing: Nitro>>Fueled is a re-imaging of the PlayStation classic version, much like the Crash and Spyro Trilogy remakes that recently hit store shelves. No addition information was given other than a flashy trailer. Crash Team Racing: Nitro>>Fueled is set to release on June 21st, 2019.

NO MAN’S SKY: B.E.Y.O.N.DI don’t think we’ll ever go a year without hearing about a new version of No Man’s Sky to save it’s legacy, but for most people, their time has come and gone. This new patch will enable a VR mode, certainly something that I’ll eventually check out, and best of all, is completely free. No Man’s Sky: B.E.Y.O.N.D is planned for a Summer 2019 release (US Time.)

READYSET HEROESReadySet Heroes is a top down dungeon crawler with a unique twist. When playing against other players, the person who defeats the others in the end brawl will take all of the glory and loot from the dungeon run, leaving the other players with nothing. This could either be amazing or terrible depending on your skill level, only time will tell. ReadySet Heroes will allow up to four players, online multiplayer or couch co-op split screen – with a planned release of 2019.

BLOOD & TRUTH VRBlood & Truth is a PSVR game that centers around you being a spy and taking on missions. With no prior knowledge of this release, and certainly nothing much given in the trailer, I don’t have a lot to report back on for this game other than that it looks alright if you love the ‘Spy’ genre. Blood & Truth is set for a release date of May 28th, 2019

PLAYSTATION VR 2019 QUICK TAKESThe next section of the presentation showed off some PlayStation VR games in a fast tracked pace, here is a very brief review of what was shown. Mini-Mech Mayhem is a family party type game releasing on June 18th, 2019. Jupiter & Mars is a futuristic space simulator releasing on April 22nd, 2019. Falcon Age is a puzzle adventure game releasing on April 9th, 2019. Trover Saves the Universe is a game that looks similar to Astro Bot, releasing May 31st, 2019. Everybody’s Golf VR is golf for everyone in VR, releasing April 21st, 2019 and finally. Table of Tales, what seems to be a board game simulator of sorts is releasing April 16th, 2019 and finally, Vacation Simulator, a spin off / sequel to Job Simulator, releasing June 18th, 2019.

OBSERVATIONObservation is a game where you play as the Space Station, over an actual character. All that’s known so far is it’s a Sci-Fi Thriller, surprisingly not in VR, That’s about it. It is due to come out on May 2tst, 2019.

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S VR: HELP WANTEDTaking full advantage of ‘being the camera’ that Observation currently passed on, the hit jumpscare game, Five Nights at Freddy’s is coming to VR. Five Nights At Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted is planned to release in Spring of 2019 (US Time)

CONCRETE GENIEPaint your town back to life in this Puzzle Adventure game. Solve the mysteries, vanquish the darkness and make new friends that you create along the way. A PSVR Mode will also be included in the future Concrete Genie is set to release the Fall of 2019 (US Time)

DAYS GONEDays Gone is a action, adventure survival game that seems in the vein of The Last of Us (though I do have very little knowledge of this game, even though I’ve heard of it in passing.) Days Gone is planned to come out April 26th, 2019.

MORTAL KOMBAT 11Mortal Kombat 11 is the next installment in the Mortal Kombat Series, a brutal fighting games with gory fatalities and hardcore gameplay. Story seems to be a high emphasis in this installment, from first glance, with characters from old returning and being given a reason for their appearance. Mortal Kombat 11 is to release on April 23rd, 2019.

…and with that, it ends abruptly. Less than twenty minutes later. It wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t amazing. It might have just been me, but most of the games they showed off were gritty and had low color ranges, and it seems the demographic for this presentation was very mixed. One moment their showing off games like Vacation Simulator and Five Nights at Freddy’s, the next, games like Observation, Blood & Truth and Mortal Kombat 11 – with the blood and fatalities showing in all their gory glory, maybe it’s just me, but it seemed like it was missing something. Either way, I’m, sure in the future, they’ll show a more focused list of games (and hopefully more exciting releases than there was this round) and hopefully will learn from their mistakes and make the run time a little longer. We don’t want more games announced, but more information about the games announced. If you would like to watch the PlayStation: State of Play presentation in it’s entirety, you can do so below.

Hello, My name is A.J. Splutter and I specialize in SEGA and Nintendo. I collect for all systems, new and old and try to keep physical media alive by purchasing games on cart or disc as a preference to digitally. I'm always trying to research and find out all things Japan to better my gaming knowledge.

MORE STORIES

Stay connected

The latest gaming news, opinion pieces and exclusive coverage of Australia's eSports and video game culture. We offer a unique Australian perspective, catering to both hardcore gamers and casual gamers. We're dedicated to video game journalism and you'll find stories here that aren't found, or given the depth of coverage, as anywhere else. Get your dose of local Australian game journalism at Gamers Classified!